The other day at the grocery store I came across some baby heirloom tomatoes and became quickly excited! I double checked to make sure that they were not from Mexico. They were not, score!  They were gorgeous and I decided to buy them since a container was only $2!  Not bad!

While I know that tomatoes are not in season right now, I also realize that some farmers run hydroponics in the winter to provide more produce.  This is a practice that I do not have an issue with.

Because these tomatoes were gorgeous, I wanted to use them in a dish that would show them off and not cover them up.  Tomatoes can easily get lost in a dish if there’s a lot going on or if the sauce is really heavy.  I wanted to avoid this as much as possible.

Tomatoes have a ton of juice…

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This is the last side dish that rounded out the bison steak night meal.  With the heaviness of the potato and steak, I wanted the accompanying side dish to be a bit lighter and fresher.  Perhaps also as a palate cleanser.  I went with a quick salad that contains one of my very favorite flavor combos, red onion and orange.

I know it sounds really odd; the first time I was presented with it I thought the same thing.  I was visiting my mom several years ago and she made a salad with mandarin oranges and red onion.  I was nervous to eat it.  Fruit and onions?  I dunno.

After one bite I was hooked!  The citrus really mellows out the bite of the onion and brings out its sweetness instead.  It tastes fresh and new, like a summer morning after…

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Would you believe me if I told you that I’ve never been to a steak house before?  Like an honest-to-goodness steak house?  I’ve been to Ruth’s Chris once with Scott like a decade ago but that’s a chain so I don’t really count that as a true steak house.

I grew up in the sticks so we didn’t have steak houses.  Unless you count going over to the Elk’s or Moose on steak night and I’m betting you don’t.  Even the bigger towns closest to us (which were all half an hour to 45 minutes away no matter which direction you went) didn’t have steak houses.

But there are some things I know about steak houses like they are crazy expensive if what people tell me is true.  Every time The Double R mentions steak houses on her show she says that for two people it could…

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I love coleslaw and I’m also extremely picky about my coleslaw.  I like it sweet and tart with just a hint of some heat at the end.

While I don’t mind mayo, I don’t want it swimming in mayo.  Really soupy coleslaw is gross.  I like coleslaw to have just a touch of dressing giving flavor to the veggies but not crushing them so they lose their crunch.

Speaking of crunch, I want to crunch and chew my way through coleslaw, not slurp it up.

Coleslaw needs to have some onion background.  Not overpowering but it needs to be present.  Coleslaw is also more than just cabbage, it can be a great opportunity to introduce some new veggies to the scene!

Now even though I don’t mind mayo, I have started making my coleslaw without.  One reason being is that I want to be able to make slaw for my vegan friends and…

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Watermelon is by far my favorite summer time fruit.  I love it! It’s very cool and refreshing and perfectly sweet.  On a hot day it can nourish and rehydrate a body, what a perfect little fruit!

All I ever did with watermelon was chop it up and eat it straight.  I know some like to sprinkle it with a little bit of salt but that sort of ruined the sweetness for me.  All I wanted was a perfect piece of watermelon.

The first time I had watermelon salsa was a recent dinner outing with my husband.  I was totally skeptical about the taste.  I thought it would be weird, especially since I like my watermelon left alone.  But I gave it a try and fell in love immediately. In my head I was already starting to think of ways that I could recreate this at home.  The next time we…

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We love veggies here at the HQ and because of that, I’m constantly exploring new ways to cook up some of our favorites.  Both of us really love green beans.  For me, it’s one of those comfort veggies that I have great memories of and that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when I eat it.

Summer is when certain veggies shine and come into their own and green beans are one of those veggies.  They are plentiful in the grocery stores and I tend to stock up when I shop.

The most recent time we had green beans, I wanted to try something a little different with them.  I’ve roasted green beans before but this time I added a few other things and the results were exactly what I was looking for.  Both of us enjoyed this dish and it made a…

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I was first introduced to pimento and cheese when Scott and I lived in North Carolina.  I was working an overtime shift at my PT job at White Barn Candle (with an adjoining Bath&Body Works) and was on a short 15minute break.  I was starving and for some reason that is escaping me now, we had food in the back.  Someone brought in pimento and cheese sandwiches and I inhaled two of them.  I thought they were really good and told Scott all about them when he came to pick me up that night.

I started making them and fiddling around with recipes.  Turns out that Scott is pimento and cheese’s number one fan.  I’m surprised that he likes them so much because there’s not really much too them.  Another surprise?  I don’t really care for them.   I guess it was just the fact that I was starving and my blood sugar was too low…

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My mom used to make salmon patties all the time and admittedly I didn’t really care for them (sorry Mom!).  They were a little too on the fishy tasting side for me.  A little potent.  Once I left and was on my own for meals I forgot about them.

And then I picked them back up again.  I’m not sure how it happened.  If I was watching a cooking show maybe and saw someone make something simliar or what, but my interest was renewed.  I realized I didn’t have to make them the way my mom had, I could make them however I wanted and jazz them up a bit.

Sometimes it is really interesting to see the differences in the types of foods Scott and I each grew up with.  He did not have salmon patties as a staple growing up or even had them before I started making them.  This was something totally new for him.  He loves fish, so…

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I have seen people here and there talk about beer bread but that’s about as far as I went in giving it any attention.  Then over the holidays I saw it pop up again and thought, “Hell Yes!  Beer Bread!”

New Years at OHC HQ means sauerkraut and some sort of pork dish.  I wanted to make the beer bread to go with that meal but then I forgot.  And when I remembered about dear old beer bread we were past the holiday.  I still wanted to make it though and started doing some research.

Most of what I found was pretty basic.  Beer, flour, and some baking powder.  Well that’s lovely but can’t we pump this up a little bit.  Where’s the seasonings and extra kick?  I decided to try my hand at making some beer bread with some umph!

Andrea’s Cheddar Beer Bread

• 1 C All purpose flour
• 2 C whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 TBSP of baking powder
• 3 TBSP of sugar
• 1 tsp of…

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When I was in middle school it was the 80s.  Hair bands and mall teen pop queens were in their prime.  And the thing to do back then was hit up the skating rink on Friday night.  Especially when you lived in a super small town and there was nothing else for you to do at that age.  The skating rink was a happening place and I taught myself how to skate.  And backwards skate.  And skate going around the corners with my feet turned out, heels touching.  My favorite thing to do was skate backwards and stop with my stoppers coming to a sliding halt.  My skates were white with blue wheels and a blue stopper.  And Velcro because when you are at the skating rink, it is all about the skating and not about wasting time lacing up your skates.  Oh and secretly crushing on the boys who preferred video games until the couples skate was announced.  Eventually…

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